Xaphan
The legendary city of Xaphan is well known amongst all mages, and in fact for many ancient Xaphan society is an ideal to be strived for. It was at Xaphan that the greatest spellcasters forged magics that rivalled those used in the creation of reality, and where mortals first learned of the divine and arcane processes that underpinned their world. The exact nature of Xaphan and its history, however, is almost impossible to pin down. During the Chaos Fate Crisis, remnants of the Citadel’s existence were blasted through and out of time. Modern scholars have many theories around the time and location of the Chaos Fate Crisis, however due to the nature of the catastrophe many inconsistencies and paradoxes abound. Some say that the society was once the pinnacle of Mage power until they were brought down by their own hubris, while others believe that Xaphan is yet to be created, and instead its destruction in the future is set to blast it back through time. Occasionally, there have been sightings of the legendary city by sky-pirates and merchants. Many mages hypothesise the visions are merely temporal remnants of the city as it exits mortal comprehension of time, while others cannot discard the idea that the city continues to exist in hiding. Local Colour/Atmosphere Population Demographic Government Defences Commerce Factions/Organisations Languages & Dialects Other Details True History of Xaphan During the Bright Ages, Xaphan was the magical capital of the planet. Although mortals still lived under the threat of monsters and demons in the uncivilised lands, Veyarin was at the pinnacle of His power. The Floating Island of Velor was a symbol of Veyarin’s strength and inspired all those who lived below, the Archmages of Xaphan included. Over decades, the Archmages of Xaphan slowly unravelled those magics which raised Velor into the sky during the Great Creation and began their own designs. The eldritch rituals they used were of immense power, and to this day they remain almost unreplicatable. Xaphan became the second, permanent floating land mass to join Velor in the sky, and the Archmages saw themselves as mortal champions approaching the strength of deities. Over the next few centuries, many islands joined Velor and Xaphan. Reworking and improving on those original spells, they raised greater and greater landmasses, culminating in the entire continent of Predam being brought into the sky with the aid of Vumulous, the God of Righteous Rule. The greatest of the Archmage’s achievements was at the start of the Dark Ages when, during Etuan’s return to the physical realms, the Archmages of Xaphan worked to bring the rest of civilised society into the sky and under the protection of Veyarin. Hailed as heroes by some, worshipped by others, eventually the Archmages were given an impossible request by the people of the world; to destroy Etuan once and for all. The Citadel was divided, with one side seeking to preserve the natural order of things and the other side wishing to attain the godlike power required to destroy one of the original three Great Powers. There quickly began an insurrection and during the great war that followed, those who sought to destroy Etuan won and drove out all the detractors. Walling off the Citadel with powerful magics, the remaining Archmages quickly began discerning ancient lore and exploring spells that could be used to unmake the The Great Darkness, Etuan. What followed was the construction of the Scale Temporal, an enormous arcane machine designed to affect magics through the fabric of space and time itself. With its eventual completion at the center of the Citadel, the Archmages sought to prevent the birth of Etuan Himself. In a desperate alliance with the *INSERT SOCIETY NAME HERE*, the exiled Archmages returned and assaulted the Citadel. Both sides lost many in the battlesbuilding that followed as the Exiled assaulted the floating city and attempted to unmake the magics of their rivals. In desperation the Scale Temporal was animated early, and during the height of the conflict the entire mechanism collapsed under the weight of its own reality warping power. As the city and its occupants were twisted, torn apart, and ejected into the timestream, the magic of the device began reverting the processes of cause and effect across innumerable realities. Once the fabric of space and time had repaired itself, the Citadel had already made and unmade itself across the multiple timelines, making it impossible to discern whether evidence of its existence came from this or the next reality. This event came to be known to scholars of history as the Chaos Fate Crisis. Although incredibly dangerous, it is still possible to visit Xaphan at places in time where its existence intercepts the current reality. No living thing has done so successfully. Category:Places